The World Above
by Frozen Midnight
Summary: This is my take on what occurred after Triton turned Ariel into a human for good. I don't like the idea that they got married instantly so Ariel and Eric won't be married at the start of the story, I will of course cover that eventually. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**The World Above**_

_**Chapter I**_

Prince Eric made his way through the castle halls in search of his fiancee. So far she had searched all her usual haunts from her bedroom to the library and even Carlotta's chambers with no luck so far. He was just passing the conference room when he heard Ariel's voice, "You're welcome, Captain Monroe. If you ever need any assistance again, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I most certainly will, your highness." Captain Monroe responded. The prince peered into the room just as Syrus Monroe, the captain of his trade fleet's flagship, exited and subsequently bumped into him, "Oh, Prince Eric... I was looking for you earlier."

"Oh, I apologize I was in a meeting with the court. What is it I can help you with, Captain?"

The Captain grinned, "Not a problem, your beautiful fiancee was kind enough to lend her assistance. I was merely trying to plot a faster and safer shipping route to Glauerhaven, it wouldn't have been worth disrupting your schedule and Princess Ariel was most helpful. I never would have considered the route she mapped but she assures me that the currents will allow our ships to make excellent time and that the deeper waters will reduce the risk of running aground during hurricanes."

"Her intelligence is one of the many reasons I'm marrying her." Eric responded with a grin.

"You both give me too much credit. You forget, I have inside knowledge of those waters my insight isn't so miraculous." Ariel stated simply as she approached them, "Speaking of the waters though Eric, I have a new suggestion regarding the kingdom's revenue I'd like to run by you."

"Well, I'll leave the two of you to your discussion. Thank you again, your highness." With that the captain bowed to the two royals and made his way down the hall.

"So, what's your suggestion?" Eric asked, as he wound Ariel's arm through his own and led her down the hallway towards the dining hall.

"Well, when I lived in Atlantica, I spent most of my time exploring sunken ships and collecting various human items. Naturally there's no real value to such items in Atlantica, we have our own currency and humans and their lost possessions are not in high demand there either. I was thinking though, father is always complaining about the ships, they take up immense amounts of space and he's not particularly fond of them so why not have your kingdom as well as my kingdom do a joint salvage effort."

"Go on." Eric urged.

"Father can arrange for my people to help raise the treasure and lost ships, even the skeletal remains to the surface where your ships can take them on board. The families of your sailors would have closure, you can generate revenue by selling the treasures, and father will be getting rid of the 'human trash' littering his kingdom. What do you think?"

"I think it's an excellent idea. We've lost countless royal treasures due to the shipwrecks, it would be wonderful to recover them all and to give our sailors proper buriels."

Ariel smiled up at him happily, "I'm so glad you approve, I'll have Sebastian pitch the idea to father when he returns." Ariel hugged his arm and the couple walked in silence for several feet before she spoke again, "So, what brought you by the conference room this afternoon? Grim didn't mention you having any meetings scheduled in there today."

"Actually, I was looking for you. Things have been so hectic around here since the incident with Vanessa and everyone trying to fix the wedding ship and make arrangements for our wedding, the two of us haven't had much time to talk." Here Eric chuckled, "I loved you before you got your voice back, you know, but it's still wonderful to be able to have a two-way conversation with you."

Ariel smiled warmly, "Words can't even describe how happy I am to HAVE my voice back. There were so many things I wanted to say and no real way for me to say them."

"I have questions myself, the first of which being, why on earth did you give your voice to that evil woman to begin with?"

The princess blushed, "I fell in love with you when you risked your life to save Max. My father had raised us believing that humans were barbarians who killed creatures that were different from them, yet here was a human prince willing to risk his life to save an animal. I wanted to spend time with you, get to know you... but father hates humans, interaction between our worlds was forbidden, he even went so far as to destroy my collection of human items and the statue Grim had given you as a birthday present. I was upset and desperate... making a deal with Ursula seemed like my only hope."

"Why does your father have such a problem with humans? Surely there's a reason for this mistrust of us."

"Humans stole something very precious to my family and our people." Ariel replied sadly.

Eric stopped walking and kissed her softly, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I would like to know what it was we did that could cause so much hatred between our people."

Ariel closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tightly around Eric's waist, leaning her face against his chest, "When I was five, my parents, sisters, and I were having a family outing at a small lagoon that was popular with all the merpeople at the time. It was my parents' anniversary and my father had just given my mother a beautiful music box that played our lullaby.

"It was such a happy day, everyone was laughing and smiling. Then suddenly, a black ship appeared on the horizon heading straight for us. I was the first to see it, it frightened me. My father saw my terror and followed my gaze to the ship. He shouted the alarm and everyone swam off, except my mother. She had forgotten the music box and went back for it. The sailors on the ship saw her, she was trapped between the rocks and the oncoming ship, they saw her and didn't divert. She was crushed between them... none of us, especially my father, ever truly recovered from her loss."

Eric's arms tightened around her, "I'm so sorry Ariel."

She lifted her head and gave him a teary-eyed smile, "It was a long, long time ago and it wasn't your fault. It made my father think of humans as cold-hearted barbarians and even he my eldest sister, Atina, holds a negative opinion of them still... they think you and those in your kingdom are the only exceptions."

"Well, I'm eternally grateful to them for allowing me to marry their beloved Ariel, despite their negative views of my species."

"So am I." Ariel replied, leaning her head up and kissing her future husband.

They were soon interrupted by a throat being cleared, "Your majesties, perhaps that would be an activity better suited to a more private venue as opposed to the palace hallways."

"Aww Grim, you always ruin the best things." Eric groaned as Ariel giggled.

"I assure you, that is never my intention."

Ariel managed to compose herself and adress Eric's advisor, "What can we do for you this afternoon, Grimsby?"

"Ah yes, Prince Eric, you have a visitor in the main hall and you, my dear, have one as well."

"I have a visitor? I barely know anyone outside the castle." Ariel replied in surprise.

"He introduced himself as the Atlantican Embassador and also claimed to be an old friend of yours, I instructed him to tag along with me... the maids seemed prepared to attack him." With that Grimsby turned towards the doorway he had exited from, "Come along then, her majesty is waiting."

The princess sighed, "Grimsby, I really must insist you refer to me as Ariel unless in front of the court."

Eric chuckled and opened his mouth to comment but another voice spoke first, "Same old Ariel, shirking formality and trying to be everyone's friend. Of course, I'd expect no less from the princess who dared to befriend a poor orphaned merman who associated with criminals."

Ariel looked up to find a handsome blonde man standing in the doorway. He was dressed in an outfit similar to the one Eric was planning to wear at their wedding except instead of the royal blue, white, and gold of Eric's clothing, this man was wearing turquois and gold, the royal colors of Atlantica. His sandy blonde hair fell messily into pale blue, almost grey eyes and a cocky grin pulled up the corners of his mouth. It was the grin that lit the spark of familiarity in the princess, "Urchin? Is that you?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**The World Above**_

_**Chapter II**_

Urchin smiled at the princess and, ignoring the formalities associated with his position as ambassador, ran over to her and spun her around, "It's so wonderful to see you again!"

Ariel's musical laughter rang through the hallways as she happily embraced her friend, "The feeling is mutual Urchin."

The merman-turned-human finally released her and bowed to Prince Eric, "Sorry for stealing away your fiancée like that, your highness. I'm Urchin, an old friend of Princess Ariel and the newly appointed Ambassador from Atlantica."

"No problem Urchin, Ariel seems rather pleased to see you and whatever makes Ariel happy is fine by me. Unfortunately, as much as I would love to eavesdrop on your reunion, I believe I have a visitor of my own to attend to." Eric bowed slightly to Urchin before giving Ariel a kiss on her forehead, "I'll be back shortly."

Ariel and Urchin watched as Eric and Grimsby made their way towards the main hall where Eric's guest awaited. After a few moments they turned to each other and grinned as Ariel looped her arm through Urchin's, "Care to escort me to the library, Ambassador?"

"But of course, princess."

They made the short walk to the palace library in relative silence. The bumped into Carlotta just outside the doors and, after brief introductions were made, Ariel requested tea and cakes to be delivered to the reading room and then led Urchin inside where they took seats before the fireplace. "So, tell me Urchin, where did you disappear to? What have you been doing? You haven't been associated with that horrid Lobster Mobster again, have you?"

Urchin chuckled, "No no, I don't associate with those types anymore. I wanted to attempt to find my family, so I went hunting for them. I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't want me to go alone and you had your responsibilities to be concerned about."

"I understand, I suppose. Did you find any of your family?"

"No, it appears they've all vanished. I returned to Atlantica about a month ago. I went to the palace to speak with you and your father informed me that you were living in the human world and were engaged to a human

prince. At first I thought it must've been an arranged marriage..."

Ariel laughed, "Urchin, why is it you always jump to that conclusion?"

"Hey, that time with Prince Thor was your father's fault. He really shouldn't have said it like that. Anyway, as I was saying... I thought it must be an arranged marriage so I requested a position in the palace that would allow me to come see you. When King Triton learned that I'd spent the last year traveling the seven seas and their respective kingdoms and that I had no biased against the humans, he decided I would make a good ambassador."

"And, do you still think it's an arranged marriage?"

Urchin smiled, "No, I can see you love Prince Eric and he certainly feels the same. I have got to ask though, how did all this happen? How did you manage to become a human?"

Ariel happily told the story of her first encounter with Eric and the subsequent deal with Ursula, the sea witch, and finally her father's gracious gift of her humanity. "My question, Urchin, is how did YOU become human?"

The Ambassador waved a dismissive hand, "It's not nearly as exciting a story as your's, your father merely used his trident to create this bracelet," here he lifted her sleeve enough to show Ariel a gold bracelet with a large sapphire which sat around his wrist, "when I need to be human, I merely press the gem. The sapphire will turn aquamarine and I'll revert to a merman, when I want to change back, I merely press it again."

The red-haired princess immediately grabbed her friend's wrist and pushed the gem. Just as Urchin had explained, the gem changed color and the human before her reverted to a merman. Excited, she pressed the gem again causing the opposite effect. This continued for several minutes until Urchin finally snapped, "Ariel, it's not a toy! Stop pushing my button!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Urchin, it's just so interesting, I've never seen anything like it. It'd have been wonderful to have this when I first became a human... it even clothes you. Me, I had to swim from the depths of the ocean to the surface on only a partial breath and then, once I got to the shore, I had to dress in a torn sail and some rope."

"I'm sure you looked wonderful in that sail and rope though." Urchin replied with a smirk.

Ariel promptly smacked him in the shoulder and was about to fling a witty retort at him when Eric's voice interrupted from the doorway, "She was stunning, I assure you."

"Eric! How long have you been standing there?" Ariel asked, blushing so furiously her face came dangerously close to matching the color of her hair.

Eric chuckled as he approached and took a seat in the chair next to her, kissing her hand as he sat down, "Long enough to see your curiosity at it's best."

"That was nothing compared to some of the situations she's gotten herself, and others, into due to her curiousity." Urchin chimed in.

"Oh?" The prince asked curiously, even as his bride-to-be turned a darker shade of red and buried her face in her hands.

"There was the time she invited a sea monster home with her, or the time she hid an Orca whale in her room, or the time she rode a wild seahorse against her father's wishes and got lost, or the time she got kidnapped by gangsters, or..."

"That's quite enough Urchin, you can stop now."

"Aww, but Ariel, I haven't even gotten to the time you saved that human in the weird bubble contraption..."

"Urchin!"

Eric leaned forward in his chair, "Oh, so saving humans is a habit of hers is it? And here I was thinking I was special."

"You ARE special Eric! You can't possibly think that I..."

Ariel's defensive rant was cut short by both Eric and Urchin breaking out into racuous laughter.

"Men, whether on land or in the sea, are all insufferable idiots." Ariel responded as she stood from her seat, "If you'll both excuse me, I have no intention of sitting her and being embarrassed." With that she walked out of the room, head still held high.

Eric immediately stopped laughing and stood to chase after her but Urchin stopped him, "She's not really angry, she wants me to tell you about her exploits, she just doesn't want to be around to see your reaction to them."

"Are you sure? She certainly seemed angry." Eric responded, his voice heavy with concern.

"I'm positive. If Ariel were really mad, you'd know it... she's more terrifying than her father when she's really mad."

"So, what's this about Ariel saving a human other than me?"

"Oh, that's right, she rescued you too, didn't she? I remember Sebastian mentioning that to me at some point. I don't suggest repeating what I'm about you to King Triton, as far as I know he isn't aware of it and I'm not sure how he'd react."

"He really doesn't like humans, does he? I can't say I really blame him, after what Ariel told me earlier this afternoon."

"She told you? About Queen Athena?"

"Athena? Was that her mother's name?"

Urchin nodded, "Yes, I never knew her personally, I didn't live in Atlantica until after her passing but the citizens thought very highly of her. From what I gathered, Ariel is exactly like her. They even look alike. The Queen's death destroyed King Triton's happiness... he even went so far as to outlaw music from Atlantica entirely simply because it reminded him of her."

"He outlawed music?"

"It was outlawed for ten years. It was actually Ariel who got the law repealed."

"This sounds like a much more interesting story. Tell me what happened."

As Urchin went about telling Prince Eric about how Ariel restored music to Atlantica, Ariel herself was making her way through the hallways towards her bedroom. As she drew closer, she noticed a man standing outside her bedroom doors, he looked up as she approached, "Are you Princess Ariel?"

Ariel nodded, there was something very familiar about this man, though she couldn't quite place from where she may know him. He was tall and muscular and appeared to be older than Eric by about a decade or two. His dark brown hair was speckled with gray as was his short beard. He had dark eyes, so dark they almost appeared black and Ariel was stricken by the sense of emptiness that seemed to emanate from them.

"I'm Captain Lucas." The man stated, his voice cold.

"A pleasure, Captain. I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing outside of my chambers?"

"Ah yes, your fiancé, Prince Eric, was going on and on about his beautiful bride-to-be and I just had to see you for myself. I'll let you go about your business. I do hope I'll get to see you again sometime soon." He bowed slightly and disappeared down the hallway.

Ariel watched her go with a sense of unease growing in the pit of her stomach. As soon as the Captain was out of sight she ran into her bedroom and bolted the door behind her. As she leaned back against the door she attempted to calm her suddenly racing heartbeat. Her panic made no sense, the Captain had done nothing to cause such a reaction. Sighing, she drew away from the door and went to the bed to lie down, hoping that a nap before dinner would calm her frazzled nerves. Little did she know that her dreams would only sharpen her terror.


	3. Chapter 3

_**The World Above**_

_**Chapter III**_

Several hours later, Carlotta found Urchin and Eric still sitting where Ariel had left them. "Prince Eric, dinner will be served in the dining hall in fifteen minutes. Would you like me to go fetch Princess Ariel as well?"

"No, thank you Carlotta, I'll go get her myself. I teased her a bit earlier and I really should go apologize. Ambassador Urchin will be dining with us this evening, would you please show him to the dining hall?"

"Of course, your highness, I'd be happy to. Come along then child." Carlotta beckoned Urchin to follow and he quickly complied, not too keen on the idea of getting lost in the palace.

Eric watched them go, amused by Urchin's Ariel-like enthusiasm for every human object he saw. Grinning from ear to ear, the prince made his way towards Ariel's chambers. He felt like he'd just met her for the first time all over again after hearing the numerous stories he'd been able to pry out of Urchin.

As Eric approached the princess' bed chamber, he encountered two palace maids gossiping outside the doors, "Did you see that strange man that was here earlier?" the first maid asked.

"What strange man?" the second maid replied.

"I couldn't get a good look at his face, his back was towards me but it seemed like he'd been waiting for the princess outside her bedroom door."

Intrigued by the conversation and not wanting the maids to lapse into silence because of his presence, the prince quickly hid behind a column just as the second maid responded, "Why would a man be waiting outside the princess' bed chamber? Are you sure it wasn't the prince?"

"Of course I'm sure, I've worked in the palace for fifteen years, how could I not know the prince when I see him? Honestly! As for why he was there, who knows. Princess Ariel is an odd one, she shows up here all of a sudden, refuses to talk to anyone, including Prince Eric and then the minute the prince finds a suitable wife, the girl can magically talk again. Not only that but tells him she's a princess?

"How could she possibly be a princess anyway? She's clumsy and awkward not to mention rude, did you see what she did to Master Grimsby the first day she arrived?"

"Catherine, I think you should stop. Princess Ariel may be a bit odd at times, but she's very sweet and she seems to make Prince Eric happy. It's really none of our business anyway now let's go, we've finished this hallway and Mistress Carlotta wanted us to help her set the dining room for dinner."

The sound of retreating footsteps slowly faded and Eric was left alone in the hallway. He had never really thought before about how Ariel's appearance here had looked to the staff or how the sudden return of her voice could seem like a trick. He may have even thought it a trick himself, if he hadn't watched her voice return to her with his own eyes.

He sighed, with the exception of Grimsby, Carlotta, and Louie, none of the palace staff has been present on the wedding ship for his marriage to Vanessa, none of them had witnessed the beautiful bride turn into a giant half-octopus woman. He still shuddered at the thought of Ariel disappearing over the railing of the ship in Ursula's arms. He really had thought he'd lose her for good that day.

No doubt the staff had been dreaming up conspiracy theories ever since he and Ariel had returned to the palace the next morning. He hoped Ariel hadn't overheard any of the gossip, some of the things the servants were saying were entirely off base. They still thought their prince was only marrying this odd princess because of her voice, they had no idea that, until Vanessa had bewitched him, he had been planning to marry her even without that voice.

That's when the thought hit him, if the palace staff thought he was marrying Ariel only for her voice, maybe Ariel thought that too. Afterall, even he couldn't deny that it could look that way. Sighing yet again, he decided he should talk to Ariel and tell her what he had been planning to say the night before he almost married Vanessa.

Approaching the bedroom door, Eric knocked a couple times and waited. When he got no response, he knocked again and called out to her, "Ariel, it's Eric, dinner's almost ready."

Meanwhile, Ariel was in the throes of a terrible nightmare which actually scared her awake. Unfortunately, the moment her eyes opened she had forgotten what the nightmare was about. Her hammering heart and the cool sweat that she had broken into were proof positive that her dream had been terrifying. Still trying to recall the nightmare, she didn't hear the knocking at her door, but Eric's voice did snap her out of her thoughts enough to call out to him, "I'll be right out!"

Climbing out of bed, she ran over to her dresser and quickly pulled on her blue dress with the dark-blue corset that she often wore when she wasn't attending formal functions. Once she was dressed, she ran over to her vanity mirror and gasped at her own appearance. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, the tracks of tears were clearly visible down both sides of her face, and her hair was a mess. If Eric saw her in her current state he'd definately be worried and then he'd ask who or what had upset her. She wasn't about to tell him that his friend had frightened her.

Running into the washroom, she splashed some cold water on her face and ran a brush through her hair. After the incident with the "dinglehopper" in the dining room on her first night in the palace and the odd looks the maids had given her the two nights after that when they encountered her using it, she had made a point of asking Carlotta about it and learned WHY everyone had been giving her strange looks.

Glancing at herself in the mirror once more and finally being pleased with her appearance, Ariel opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the hall where Eric was waiting for her. He flashed a charming smile her way before extending his elbow towards her so she could take his arm. Ariel smiled up at him and wrapped her arm through his, "This is unusual, normally you're too busy to come walk me to dinner."

"I wanted to apologize for teasing you earlier in the reading room, and I wanted to talk to you about something as well."

"Oh Eric, you know you don't have to apologize for that, I wasn't even really angry."

"I know, Urchin said you probably just didn't want to witness my reaction to some of his stories about you."

"He was right. I did a lot of stupid things back home, it's really no wonder father was always sending Sebastian after me."

"I don't remember Urchin telling me about any stupid things you did, maybe some of them were a bit reckless but they were also brave. I think I fell even more in love with you just hearing them."

Ariel had the grace to blush at that statement and it took several moments for her to be able to look at him again, "What was it you wanted to speak to me about?"

This time it was Eric's turn to blush. Granted, he didn't blush quite as noticeably as Ariel usually did, but it was there and it fascinated the princess who had never seen such a reaction from her prince, "There was something... I wanted to ask you."

"Of course, you can ask me anything."

"Do you...ever overhear the maids gossiping?"

"Eric, the maids on your staff are probably the most talkative humans on the planet, everyone in the palace overhears them gossiping."

"That's certainly true but what I meant was, do you ever overhear them gossiping about you?"

The smile that had previously been on Ariel's face dimmed somewhat and she turned her gaze to the hall before her, "Sometimes, but...it's just talk. I'm an outsider here and they don't know much about me, they must feel like I'm invading their space."

Eric looked down at her with sad eyes, "Do you believe any of the things they say? Does the gossip hurt you?"

"I suppose sometimes their words hurt, like when they say I'm clumsy or unrefined. I was always called graceful and regal in Atlantica, up here it's almost like I can't do anything right. I usually just remind myself that they've lived on two legs all their lives, I've only been living with them for a month. As for what they say about you and I, those do give me pause.

"I often wonder if they have some insight that I don't, that perhaps they heard you yourself say those things." Ariel replied, she didn't want Eric to think she doubted his affections for her but she didn't want to lie to him either.

Eric laid his hand over her own which was clutching his arm, "I don't blame you for doubting me. I overheard the maids gossiping just before I knocked on your door and, while I know that everything they said is based on their ignorance of the situation, it made me realize that there are things that you may not realize too."

Ariel looked up at him in surprise, "What kind of things?"

"Well, the staff thinks that I'm only marrying you because I love your voice, which I thought was an obsurd notion until I thought about it from their perspective. Eventually, thinking about things from their perspective lead me to think about things from your perspective. Ariel, it's true that all I could remember about you was your voice. The sun was behind you the day we met and I could barely make out your face.

"It wasn't your voice that made me want to find you and marry you... it was the thought of marrying a girl who was brave enough to venture out in that storm to rescue someone she didn't even know. And then, when you appeared on the beach as a human with no voice, I just assumed you couldn't possibly be the girl I was looking for because that girl could speak and you couldn't. It had nothing to do with your voice.

"That first night, at dinner, I couldn't take my eyes off of you... you were beautiful... you ARE beautiful. Your beauty stunned me, but that wasn't what drew me to you either. You were so energetic and wild and inquisitive, poor Carlotta was going mad just trying to keep tabs on you. It didn't matter that you couldn't talk, you spoke volumes with your actions and your facial expressions.

"On that last night, Grimsby had found me out on the terrace gazing forlornly at the sea and, in an attempt to make me give up my search for the girl with the incredible voice, pointed out that perhaps the perfect girl had been right in front of me the whole time. His words made me realize that, even though you couldn't possibly be the girl who saved me, I loved you anyway... I would gladly give up my dream girl to stay with you.

"So, that's what I did. I was heading into the palace to tell you I had fallen in love with you and wanted you to be my bride when I heard that voice, your voice. I ran to the balcony to see if it was just my imagination and Ursula's spell trapped me. I wasn't going to marry her, I just wanted to prove to myself that the voice I'd heard existed and had come from someone. But you have to believe me; I would never have gone after Vanessa if it hadn't been for that enchantment. You were always the one I wanted, even when you were mute."

Ariel stopped in her tracks after Eric's confession and reached up a hand to cradle the side of his face. Tears welled in her blue eyes as she leaned up and kissed him gently, "In my heart I already knew everything you just told me, but it puts my mind at ease to hear you say it. Thank you."

Eric leaned down and captured her lips in yet another kiss, "You're welcome, princess."

While the prince seemed happier now, Ariel couldn't help noticing that his eyes still looked troubled, "Eric, something else is bothering you, isn't it?"

"Well the maids did mention something else. "

"Oh?"

"Who was the 'strange man' you were talking two outside your bedchamber?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**The World Above**_

_**Chapter V**_

"Strange man?" Ariel asked in confusion.

"I overheard the maids saying they had seen you talking to a man they didn't recognize."

"Oh, him." The princess replied, her mood visibly deteriorating.

"So, you were talking to someone?"

"Well, I didn't do it on purpose. After I left you and Urchin in the reading room, I made my way back to my room to take a nap before dinner. When I got there, a man was standing outside the door. He said you'd spoken of me often and that he'd wanted to meet me himself. He introduced himself as Captain Lucas."

"Captain Morgan Lucas?"

"I wouldn't know, he never gave me his first name."

"And he was waiting for you outside your chambers?"

Ariel nodded, "You know him then?"

"Of course, Morgan's the one who made me fall in love with the sea. When I was a child, I was petrified of water."

"You? Afraid of water?"

Eric chuckled, "Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's true. My parents and I were on voyage to visit several neighboring kingdoms when a storm struck and cause our ship to run aground. The ship sank and both of my parents were killed, I somehow managed to stay afloat on a piece of debris. I don't even recall how I got on my make-shift raft but everyone says if I hadn't I probably would've met the same end as my parents. Anyway, the trauma cause a severe fear of the water."

"How old were you when your parent's died?" Ariel asked quietly, squeezing his arm gently in comfort.

"Seven, I believe."

"I'm so sorry, Eric. Anyone would've been traumatized by that, however did you get over it? You're certainly not afraid of water now."

"It took years. Grimsby tried everything he could think of, after all, I was the only heir to the throne of an island kingdom. The only way to visit allies in neighboring kingdoms is by boat and you can't rule a kingdom very effectively if you can't even visit your allies.

"It was after yet another of Grim's failed attempts that I found myself on the beach staring at the water, I hated being afraid of it but I just couldn't stop myself. That's when Morgan showed up, he was wandering along the beach for no apparent reason and he saw me glaring at the ocean. I guess he saw something in me, a mere child, that intrigued him and he took me under his wing. I was just honored that a sailor twenty-years my senior would take the time to mentor me."

"But how on earth did he cure you of your fear? You said Grimsby tried everything and nothing worked."

"As I'm sure you've noticed by now Ariel, Grim is rather firmly rooted in reality. Morgan's a free spirit who has no trouble believing in things he has never seen. The day we met he showed me his ship. I was terrified to step on board but Morgan just pointed towards the figurehead, a beautiful mermaid, and said that, as long as I loved the ocean and treated it with respect the ocean would save me whenever I was in trouble.

"Granted, he was most likely just trying to asuade my fear but he ended up being right in the end, didn't he?" Eric finished, smiling down at the ex-mermaid still hanging off his arm.

Ariel responded with a winning smiling, "Indeed."

"So, what did you think of Morgan when you met him?"

Ariel struggled to keep her smile from faltering, "He was... formidible with a very... domineering air about him."

"Well, he wouldn't be a very good captain if he couldn't command the respect of this crew, right?"

The princess nodded, pleased that Eric hadn't noticed the tension in her voice. Her prince looked up to Captain Lucas, she didn't dare tell him that that man had frightened her, especially since she had no idea why he frightened her. She immediately decided that she'd keep her mouth shut regarding her fear until she had a solid reason for it.

"I'm glad you've met him finally, it will save me from having to introduce you to him at dinner." Eric stated cheerfully.

"Dinner? He's coming to dinner?" Ariel asked, her voice waivering slightly.

"Well, he is only in port for a few days and he's like a second father to me, I wanted you to get to know him. Tonight's really the only time he could attend as he has to make preparations for his next departure and he's rather fond of formal functions so I thought the Court Banquet this evening would be perfect."

"Of course, I'm sure it'll be lovely having him join us." Ariel responded. She had been looking forward to the banquet so much, it was the only time when all the Lords and Ladies of the court got together for something other than discussing the kingdom. Unfortunately, she found her enthusiasm fading slightly at the thought of having to spend any more time with Captain Lucas. The only thing that was keeping her from telling Eric not to invite him was the sheer joy her prince had shining in his eyes when he'd mentioned it. She would not to anything to take that joy away from the man she loved. She would stay as close to Eric as she could this evening and, when she couldn't be near him, she'd be sure to have Urchin nearby.

After all, what could the captain possibly do to her at a party with hundreds of guests and she was being escorted by two of the bravest men she knew. Unfortunately, that thought did nothing to quell the unease that was weighing at the back of her mind.


	5. Chapter 5

_**The World Above**_

_**Chapter V**_

When Ariel and Eric entered the dining hall, the royal announcer tapped his staff against the floor and called out to the room, "Presenting his royal highness, Prince Eric and his fiancÃ©e, Princess Ariel."

The guests bowed and Ariel blushed at the sudden onslaught of attention. Things weren't like this in Atlantica nor in any other merkingdom she had visited. Despite her position as princess, she was the daughter of King Triton, ruler of the oceans and everyone knew her by name and announcers were unnecessary. There was so much more formality involved with being royalty in the human world, it was no wonder Eric had wanted to abdicate the throne.

"What's going through that pretty head of yours princess?" Eric whispered, never taking his eyes off the room before him.

"It's just so much more complicated up here." Ariel responded quietly.

Eric stopped walking and glanced at her, "What's complicated? Ariel, are you alright?"

The princess smiled, "It's nothing for you to concern yourself with ring now, we can talk about it after the banquet."

Eric was about to open his mouth and say to hell with the banquet when Urchin approached them, "Man Ariel, how can you stand all this? It's so stuffy and formal and complicated!"

Ariel giggled and Eric stared at the Ambassador before glancing back at his princess, "Is that what you meant? Things are more formal?"

The red-head nodded, "I told you it wasn't important. Now, your... OUR guests are looking a bit neglected and rather hungry too, perhaps we should get on with the banquet."

"Very well, but we will discuss this later, right?"

"Of course, now go greet the guests and I'll be over in a moment."

Eric gave her one more look of suspicion before finally moving towards the nearest cluster of lords and ladies.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Urchin asked as the pair watched the prince walk off.

"I'm fine, it'll just take me a little while to get used to this world. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be able to."

Urchin nodded thoughtfully, "Maybe it would be good for you to get away from here for a little while, perhaps go back to Altantica."

"As much as I'd like to take that advice, I couldn't just up and leave Eric here." Ariel replied, turning her gaze to her soon-to-be husband who was currently looking extremely bored being bombarded by questions by members of the court.

"Who said you'd have to leave him?"

"What are you talking about Urchin?"

"Well, your father turned you into a human, there's really no reason he shouldn't be able to turn Eric into a merman. It would probably be a good experience for him anyway. After all, you've spent most of your life studying his world and the last month experiencing it first hand, I think it's only right he spend some time getting to know your world."

"You have a point," Ariel responded thoughtfully, "if our two cultures are going to have to co-exist from now on, it'd be best if Eric learned how we do things in Altantica. Who knows, it may make him a better king in the long run."

"Well, who better to learn from than you and your father?" Urchin replied with a smile.

"I can understand why daddy would be a great mentor, but me? Urchin, you know I've never ruled."

"Maybe you've never ruled a kingdom, but I've never met anyone better at being a leader then you. Everyone in Atlantica adores you."

Ariel smiled ruefully, "Perhaps, but we're not in Atlantica." She turned back towards Eric who was now looking over at her in a silent plea for help. "I'll speak with Eric tonight about coming to Atlantica with me. Now if you'll excuse me Ambassador, I need to go rescue my handsome prince."

Urchin laughed and bowed slightly, "Please don't let me delay you any further."

The red-haired princess made her way across the dining room, but not before turned back towards her blonde friend, "Urchin," she called. Once he looked back at her she continued, "thanks."

"You're welcome."

Giving Urchin a final smile, Ariel made her way over to where Eric stood at the other side of the room. He was currently being chatted at by Lord Syrus and Lord Marcus, both of whom had been bothering the prince for the last three months to pass a particular bill allowing a loading of taxes for the aristocracy but a hike for the lower classes. Eric had spoken to her about it frequently and was vehemently against letting the bill pass, no doubt the two wealthiest lords in the kingdom were still trying to convince her fiancé it was a brilliant idea.

Eric looked at her gratefully as she stopped beside him, "Darling, where have you been?"

"I was just speaking with Ambassador Urchin, surely you didn't expect me to be rude to a visiting diplomat." She replied teasingly before turning her attention to the two lords, "Lord Marcus, Lord Syrus, it's wonderful to see you both again."

Lord Marcus was the first to respond, "The pleasure is ours Princess Ariel." He quickly took her slender hand in his chubby one and placed a kiss on the back of it, he was so short, he didn't even need to bend forward.

"Indeed, my colleague has never made a truer statement." Lord Syrus piped in, even as he glanced down at Lord Marcus with a teasing smirk. Ariel was always amused by Lord Syrus, his appearance reminded her greatly of Grimsby.

"I do hope you gentlemen aren't making Eric talk too much. If he expends all his conversation skills talking to you, there won't be anything left for me by the time we sit down for our meal." Ariel responded playfully, which caused the prince to throw an equally playful glare her way.

"Of course not, your majesty, we were merely reminding his highness about the importance of the aristocracy and ensuring their income isn't affected by the new tax law." Lord Syrus replied, Lord Marcus beside him nodding along with his statement.

"Well, Prince Eric has told me numerous times about the pros and cons of your ideas so I can assure you that he's giving it due consideration."

Just as the Lords opened their mouths to argue, the announcer's voice interrupted. "Dinner is served."

"Finally," Eric breathed out, almost inaudibly.

Ariel let out a slight chuckle and turned her attention back to Lord Syrus and Lord Marcus, "I do hope you'll enjoy the rest of the banquet, gentlemen, but now I'm afraid it's time to steal my fiancÃ© away." With that Ariel began dragging Eric towards the dining table and, though he made a show of being apologetic to the two pushy lords, it was obvious through his accelerated walking pace that he was grateful to be dragged away.

As they approached the table, Eric rushed a few feet ahead to pull the out from under the table for Ariel to sit. Once she was seated, he took the seat to her right, his usual seat at the head of the table, then he shot her a grateful smile, "Thanks for the masterful rescue."

"Of course, I couldn't very well have you gobbled up by overzealous politicians, now could I?"

"You could, but I think you'd miss me."

Ariel smiled and leaned forward to kiss him, "I would miss you terribly."

Eric could only smile back dreamily. Realizing she had stunned the prince into silence, Ariel began eating her dinner, pleased to see no sign of fish or crustacean on her plate. After discovering that the girl he loved was indeed a mermaid and that her two best friends were a fish and a crab, Eric had apparently lost his appetite for seafood.

Now most royal meals consisted of vegetarian entrees, which was not unusual for Ariel, but it seemed to be taking the aristocrats a while to adapt. The princess was just about to start eating when Captain Lucas sat down in the seat across from her and reached over to smack Eric on the shoulder, "C'mon boy, this is a party not a time to be spacing out."

"Morgan! I'm so glad you could join us."

"I'm rather pleased to be here myself. I count myself lucky to be able to sit down to a free meal with royalty." He suddenly turned his attention to Ariel, "It's a pleasure to see you again, princess. I do hope you'll forgive me for loitering about in front of your chambers earlier I..."

"It's quite alright, Captain," Ariel interrupted, "no harm done. I'm afraid I was in such a frazzled state when we first met that I mistook your for someone else."

"Oh?"

"Yes, even now you look remarkably familiar to me. I am certain now that you are not the person I initially mistook you for. You are the current captain of a ship know as Raven's Wing, aren't you?"

The captain beamed at her, "Indeed I am, I see Eric's been talking about me."

Eric shook his head, "I did tell Ariel a bit about you earlier, but I don't recall telling her the name of your ship."

"No, Eric never told me the name of your ship... I had merely seen it before and the captain resembled you a great deal, I made the assumption that he was a relative of yours who passed the ship down to you."

"Goodness you're an observant one, it's true the ship I now sail once belonged to my father. When he died, I received the ship as an inheritance." Morgan replied with an uncomfortable laugh. Ariel could see that he didn't want to discuss this topic any further, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to either.

The princess opted to cease the conversation and return to her dinner while Captain Lucas immediately struck a new conversation with Eric about the newest voyage he'd be embarking on. As she ate, Ariel could feel the eyes of both men fall upon her from time to time. She knew Eric would now have even more questions for her after dinner and she would have to see about speaking with Captain Lucas again before he shipped out. She idly wondered if Eric would be able to handle the true answers to all his questions or if it would hurt him less if she lied.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize that it's been taking me so long to update this story. I work full time, I've been sick for a week, and I'm currently trying to enroll in online college courses so I'm afraid I'm rather busy and don't have as much free time to write as I'd like. I have every intention of continuing this story and I will try to update as often as I possibly can. I sincerely appreciate all the patience everyone has had with me lately and I'm flattered that so many people have reviewed this story and/or added it to their favorites. I promise I'll do everything I can to get chapters to you as often as possible... thank you so much for reading my fanfic! ~Frozen Midnight~**

* * *

_**The World Above**_

_**Chapter 6**_

After dinner, Ariel left Eric to speak with the captain and a few of the lords while she herself mingled with the rest of their guests as she moved closer to the doors with the single-minded intention of sneaking out. Several minutes of mindless conversation, she finally reached the door to the main hall and quickly slipped out.

She was just closing the door behind her when she literally bumped into Grimsby. The elderly butler was holding a leash in his hands and Max, Eric's excitable sheep dog, was standing at his side. "Are you heading to bed your highness?" Grimsby asked.

"No, it was just getting a bit stuffy in there, I was thinking of taking a walk along the shore. I would be happy to take Max along, I'd hate for you to have to pull octopi out of your pockets again like you did the last time you took him for a walk."

"Oh really your majesty, I couldn't allow you to do that on my behalf."

Ariel chuckled as she gently reached over and took the leash from Grim's hands, "I'm not doing it on your behalf, I'm simply going for a walk and I want Max to join me. Now, I'm sure Carlotta could use your help cleaning up after this banquet, go help her and let me deal with Max. Please let Eric know where I've gone once the guests leave."

Grimsby smiled gratefully at her and nodded, "Of course your highness, thank you."

As the butler took his leave, Ariel made her way through the palace doors and down the stone steps to the shore, Max bounding along obediently behind her. Upon reaching the final step, she slipped off her shoes and neatly placed them on the fourth step up, far out of the way of any salt water. Carlotta had thrown a terrible fit when Ariel had accidentally ruined a pair of pink satin high heels by leaving them on the beach where they were, inevitably, drowned in the rising tide.

Unlike Ariel, Max immediately bounded for the water the minute his paws touched sand and the red-haired princess laughed in amusement as he splashed through the oncoming waves. Blue eyes stared longingly at the waves… she loved the human world with all her heart, but the freedom of the ocean seemed so tempting. She found it odd how she had longed for the human world when she'd known only the ocean and now longed for the ocean now that she knew the human world.

As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she realized Sebastian had been right about the ocean and the land… up here there were so many rules to follow and so many tasks to perform. In Atlantica she'd never had to worry about taking off her shoes before going for a swim or which outfit to wear to a royal function and which to wear while having fun. Never in all her life had she thought of her status as a princess as anything important… it hadn't been nearly as complicated under the sea as it seemed to be up here.

She had been astonished when, upon finding out she was a princess, everyone in the palace had taken to bowing to her whenever she walked by. She had seen them do this for Eric before but it hadn't struck her as odd at the time, afterall, everyone in Atlantica bowed to her father because he was their king and she had assumed that the same held true for Eric. No one back home had ever bowed to her or any of her sisters the way they did to King Triton…people would just greet them and incline their heads slightly and the princesses would return the gesture in kind. All this formality was so strange to her, she wondered if she'd ever get used to it all.

"Penny for your thoughts?" A male voice asked from behind her.

Ariel turned her head slightly just in time to see Eric come to a stop beside her, "Why would you want to pay me to tell you what I'm thinking?" she asked curiously.

Eric laughed, "It's just an expression. I was simply wondering what you were thinking about and if it has anything to do with the way you've been acting this evening."

"The way I've been acting? Did I do something strange again?"

"No no, it's more the things you've been saying than the things you've been doing."

"Oh?"

"For example, what did you mean by what you said when we were walking to the dining hall, about things being more complicated here?" Eric asked curiously.

"Well, they are!" Ariel replied loudly, surprising both herself and Eric. Calming down a bit she continued, "Down in Atlantica we never had to worry about all this formality. We were never announced when entering a room or had people bowing to us all the time. The only person anyone ever bowed to or announced was Daddy and that's because he's the king. When I first arrived here and I noticed all the servants and citizens bowing to you everywhere we went, I just assumed it was for the same reason… you're their ruler even though you're not their king yet you may as well be. You have no idea how awkward I felt when they started bowing to me too… I had no idea what to do, in fact, I almost bowed back but thought better of it."

"Are you worried about fitting in?"

"Not really, it's more that everything is so tiring here. Everything you do has to be carefully planned and executed from the words you speak to the way you walk and bow and sit and eat, one wrong movement and you've insulted someone. However do you manage it? Just the few hours I spent at the banquet have exhausted me beyond words. Sebastian was right about one thing, everything is so much more laid back under the sea." She turned her gaze back to the ocean and sighed.

Eric followed her gaze and then turned to watch her as she stared longingly at the sea, "Ariel," he began quietly, taking her hand within his own as she turned to look at him, "if you're unhappy here… if… if you don't want to stay with me…"

Ariel smiled and cradled the side of his face with her free hand, "Whatever it is you're thinking of saying, I order you to stop thinking it Prince Eric because I absolutely refuse to leave your side. I love you and I love your world, it will just take me some time to adjust to everything. I didn't mean to make you think I was unhappy here, it's just different, I've never had to worry about so many things at once before. I will adjust to things, this is a challenge to me and I never run away from a challenge, especially when the prize is being able to stay with the man I love."

The prince's face shone with relief, "Good, because I really don't want to let you go." With that he pulled her into a warm embrace.

They held each other in content silence for several minutes before Ariel pulled away just enough to look up at him, "Eric, I have something I'd like to tell you and it may be difficult for you to hear but I think you need to know."

"I'm assuming this has something to do with all those questions you were asking Morgan at dinner?"

Ariel nodded, "To be honest, Captain Lucas had me quite frightened when he approached me outside of my chambers earlier this afternoon."

"What did he do? Did he harm you?" Eric questioned, his voice has taken on a frantic tone and Ariel immediately continued in an attempt to calm him.

"No, no, nothing like that at all. It was his appearance that frightened me, he looks a great deal like his father you see and his father's face has filled so many of my nightmares that it was just an immediate reaction for me to fear him."

"You knew Morgan's father?"

"I didn't know him personally, I had seen him once when I was very young and I will never forget him or that horrible black ship."

"Black ship?" Eric asked curiously and then realization dawned on him, "Wait, the ship that killed your mother was black too, wasn't it? Are you saying…Morgan's father…was it's captain?"

Ariel nodded, "Yes, and unfortunately, I believe Captain Lucas was the ship's first mate… I vaguely remember him standing there beside his father. To his credit though, he did seem to be trying to stop his father."

Eric could only stare at her in stunned silence.

"There's something else too, something worse I'm afraid."

"Something worse? What could possibly be worse than finding out my mentor had a hand in murdering my mother-in-law?"

Ariel was silent for several moments before she replied quietly, "He may have had an indirect hand in the death of your own parents as well."


	7. Chapter 7

_**The World Above**_

_**Chapter VII**_

Eric looked at Ariel in stunned silence, "What do you mean? How could Morgan have possibly caused my parents deaths in any way?" He shook his head and managed to give a chuckle of disbelief, "No, there's no way. I explained to you this morning that my parents died in a storm, Morgan certainly doesn't control the weather.

"That's true Eric, Morgan doesn't have any power over the weather, but my father does." Ariel replied sadly, averting her gaze.

All signs of mirth left the prince's face and a look of pure confusion replaced them, "I'm afraid I don't follow you."

"Eric, you're two years older than me. My mother died when I was five, your parents died the same year. My father loses all semblance of control when he gets angry or upset and the weather at sea tends to mimic his moods, can you imagine how angry and upset he was when a human ship murdered his wife?"

Ariel watched silently as realization dawned in the prince's eyes, "You mean to tell me that my parents' deaths were…"

"Your parents' deaths were most likely a result of my father's anger at losing my mother. If Morgan had been able to avert that ship, it's highly likely that my mother _and_ your parents would still be alive today. My father's been scouring the oceans for years searching for the man who killed my mother, if he finds out that man's first mate is not only still alive but is a friend of yours currently residing in your kingdom, I don't want to contemplate the ramifications."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Eric, we need to take Morgan down to Atlantica."

"What?! Are you mad? They'll kill him."

Ariel took Eric's face in her hands and forced him to look her in the eyes, "I love you, Eric. I promise you, I will not allow any harm to come to your friend unless it is deemed necessary by a fair trial, but my family needs closure… we need to know what happened on that ship the day my mother died. If… if Morgan's going to be coming around you often… if he's going to remain your close friend while I'm with you, I need to know he did everything in his power to save my mother's life, can you understand that, Eric?"

Eric nodded slowly, "I… I understand but, Morgan's been like a second father to me. Let me think about this, let me talk to him."

"Of course, nothing needs to happen right now, but he'll need to face trial before he can set sail again. My father is quick to anger and usually regrets his actions immensely after the fact, but if Morgan heads into open water and father finds out who he is… he may never come back. I don't want Morgan, or any other humans, harmed without knowing it's justified. I'm not trying to make your friend suffer Eric, I'm honestly trying to save him." Ariel replied, trying to make Eric understand and not be too cross with her.

Eric gazed down at the girl he loved; he could see she was doing her best to appease both her world with him and her world with her family. He could also see that she was terrified that she'd lose him and made quick work of dispelling that notion, "Ariel, I know you're trying to help and I know you'd never do anything to harm anyone, especially anyone I care about. You're the sweetest, most loving person I know and I love you for it. I'm not going to forget those facts just because you told me something that may have been difficult for me to hear." The prince watched as a look of relief spread over Ariel's face and she immediately wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Eric chuckled and returned her embrace, burying his face in her hair, "Why don't you come with me to talk to Morgan? It'll be easier to plead his case to your father if we hear his side of the story first, don't you think?"

Ariel didn't respond verbally, but he felt her head moving against his chest by way of an affirmative nod.


End file.
